Run Away and Don't Look Back
by Twi-Chan456
Summary: Winter Vacation for Leah Hawthorne meant traveling to Costa Rica to see her beloved uncle every year for a few weeks. For Zach Mitchell, it meant going on a boring vacation with his dorky little brother to visit their aunt who never had time for anyone but the park she ran. People collide and connect, things go very, very wrong, and all they can do is run for their lives.
1. Winter Vacation

**A/N: After Jurassic World came out last year, I started this as a means to help me escape my writers block. It's not very well written, and could use some more editing, and I'm aware of that. It's just something I made for fun, honestly. (And yes, there will be more than one chapter). This story is going to work...a bit differently than just following the movie strictly. At the tender age of eleven, I discovered the two novel's Crichton wrote that ultimately became the Jurassic Park series. As much of a fan of the movies as I am, the books are so wonderfully put together and have so many elements I wish had made it into the first two films.**

 **Jurassic World felt so...rushed to me. All the movies have. Everything seems to happening in just a 24 hour time span, and that bothers me a bit. Dinosaur diversity in the films is also slim. In the novels, there are soooo many different species that should have made it into the films, but alas, they didn't. So with this particular story, it will indeed follow the movie, however I will be adding in things I feel would have led to a far more interesting story.**

 **I truly hope someone enjoys this story. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **WEST JORDAN, UTAH**_

December was a time where Christmas cheer was all over the place, decorations went up, and semester finals happened for students. People went away on vacation to ski resorts, only embracing the winter.

Christmas vacation for Leah Hawthorne meant packing tank tops and shorts in her luggage instead of heavy winter gear. Where she was going was hot year around, something she enjoyed and knew she would miss after the three week vacation was up and she had to return home. It was still a somewhat new routine for her, but she had no complaints. Humming, she grabbed a few more items of clothing and threw them into her already full suitcase, pushing them down to flatten out as much as possible. She huffed when the suitcase wouldn't close, sitting down on it and pushing down again, zipping it quickly when she didn't meet anymore resistance.

"Alright, now Owen will meet you at the airport as soon as you land, so you won't have to worry about waiting around." Leah looked up as her mother came in, checklist in her hands. "I have everything with the bank sorted out, so you'll have food money for the whole vacation. Don't spend it all on souvenirs like last time, okay?"

Melissa Hawthorne was a kind and patient woman. Of course like any parent, sending their child somewhere by themselves to stay with relatives while they stayed behind made her nervous, even if it was the second year sending her only daughter off to visit her brother.

Her husband had died when Leah was only four. It had been a hard adjustment, and growing up without a father was hard on someone so young. Her brother Owen stepped up to the plate though, visiting as often as he could and calling whenever he had the chance, just so Leah wouldn't feel like there was no father figure in her life. While the visits were sparse due to him being in the Navy, she was grateful for Owen trying to be involved and help the situation, and she would eternally be grateful to her brother for that. After he left the Navy, she'd hoped he'd settle down in Utah with them, get a house or apartment in town. However, he was offered a job in Costa Rica not long after, and the pay was _very_ nice. She didn't blame him for taking it and living down there. He'd been there for almost four years now. Every year he'd invite her and Leah down to visit, but Melissa always had to send Leah alone because of her job. Being a wedding planner was a tedious task, because winter and summer were when most people wanted to get married.

And every week this month there were at least two weddings she was scheduled to organize.

"Maybe Owen will be able to come visit us sometime soon if he ever feels comfortable leaving behind his big lizards."

Leah snorted, giggling a bit. "Velociraptors, mama." She corrected, setting her suitcase upright.

Melissa smiled cheekily, pressing a quick kiss to Leah's hair. "We better hurry. Your flight leaves in two hours."

"Right." Leah hummed, throwing her shoulder length pink hair (it was naturally blonde, and the pink was already fading away somewhat) into a messy bun. "Oh, I left some instructions by Pepper's cage. When to feed him and stuff." She called after her mother, looking into the cage at her pet rat and smiling. "I'll see you in three weeks. Try to be nice to mom, okay?"

She quickly turned on her heel, racing out of her room with her suitcase while her mother grabber her purse and car keys. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. Phone charger?"

"Check."

"Phone?"

Leah pulled the phone out of her back pocket, adjusting the backpack hanging off of her shoulder. "Check."

"Plenty of underwear?"

"I've literally got half of my closet in my bags." She laughed, walking out to the car and opening the trunk, slinging her suitcase inside of it before shutting it. "I think I'll be okay. Plus Uncle Owen has a washer and dryer, so I can do laundry as much as I want."

Both climbed into the car and drove the 20 minutes to the airport, Christmas music playing on the radio while both chatted. They lived in a convenient part of town, so everything was in close distance to their home. The airport was crowded, people hurrying about to catch their flights for the Christmas holiday. People flying in to visit their relatives or people flying home from school or something. After everything was cleared, Leah turned to her mother, holding her plane ticket close to herself.

"Now, remember to call me everyday."

"Mhm."

"And take plenty of pictures. Document your adventure."

Leah smiled. "I will."

Melissa smiled, hugging her close and kissing her hair. "I'm gonna miss you..." She murmured, smiling softly as Leah hugged her tightly. "Christmas without you just isn't the same...oh, I wish I could come!" She huffed, tearing up a bit. "I've been wanting to go since Owen started working there. He says it's incredible."

"I wish you could too." Leah looked up at her with a pout. "Uncle Owen always complains that you don't visit him enough."

"Try not to drive Owen too crazy, alright?"

Leah laughed softly, pulling away from the hug and kissing her mother's cheek. "I'll try not to."

Melissa scanned her face again, cupping it gently and pressing a kiss to her forehead gently. "See you in three weeks."

"In three weeks." Leah nodded, heading for her terminal and looking back to wave one more time.

"Don't forget to wear sunscreen. And drink plenty of water!"

Leah laughed to herself, shaking her head as she rounded the corner. "Bye!"

A popular vacation spot year round for families was Jurassic World. It was about...oh, eleven years old now, having first come to completion in 2004. It was the third and only attempt at the park that had succeeded, unlike it's predecessors back in the 90's. After the original incident with Isla Nublar and then the incident in San Diego, most of the professionals out there concluded that having a park full of prehistoric animals was merely a recipe for disaster. People died in both incidents, InGen was sued by the relatives of said people, having to pay for it and for the families to keep silent about it. And of course their stock dropped because of it. However after what happened in 1993, both island's were abandoned, and the dinosaurs left behind took over. So the San Diego initiative was put into place in 1997 after the park failed inspection in 1993. InGen brought in a Tyranosaurus and its infant from Isla Sorna, the neighboring Island to Nublar that had most of the labs on it where all the Dinosaurs were intended to be created, born in, and brought over to Nublar for the original park. John Hammond's nephew, Peter Ludlow, (the then new CEO of InGen), thought that Jurassic Park: San Diego would bring in the revenue needed to get InGen back on its feet. Unfortunately for him, his plan failed. The T-Rex got free, damaged most of downtown San Diego, caused several casualties and many accidents, and even ended up killing Ludlow.

Isla Sorna was now more of a wildlife preserve. And John Hammond had wished to keep it that way.

Simon Masrani acquired the rights to InGen in 2003. Production of Jurassic World began that same year, and Masrani Global began to create something that InGen had failed at doing twice. In the interviews he'd done, he thought of the production as fulfilling John Hammond's dying wish. By Summer of 2004, Jurassic World was completed and opened to the public for the first time. Eleven years later, it was still running just fine. Of course, it had snags but what major theme park didn't have snags? Critics gave it five stars, yet there were still those that were skeptical and thought it was unwise to even keep the park open. Ian Malcolm, one of the survivors of the 1993 incident had been interviewed on the matter, and each time he was asked about, he always said it was destined to fail. Same went with renowned paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant, who had gone so far as to write a book about the first park and his experience with it, and why it had failed and would never work not matter how many times anyone tried it.

It had worked though on the third try, and it was incredibly successful. It made millions each year, and tourism grew more and more as the years went on. And it was deemed safe, so no one had anything to fear.

As Leah took her seat, she pulled a book out her backpack and sighed, popping some earbuds into her her ears, settling in for the long flight. She took a look at the cover and smiled, tracing the letters on it with a finger slowly. She'd always been fond of dinosaurs, so when her uncle acquired that job at the park, she had been so excited to go and see what all it had to offer. She'd not gone through the whole park before, and usually she stayed near Owen while he did his work with the Velociraptors. It was interesting to watch, especially when they didn't behave for him. However it was always so exciting to see how intelligent the beasts were, and it made watching them all the more enjoyable. Owen would sometimes let her throw their food to them if they did a good job, and that was always a fun experience.

She looked out the window as the plan began to take off and sighed, opening the book in her lap and turning to the first page.

* * *

 **A/N: Hmmmm, I just felt like trying something new. This chapter was short, yes. Next chapter will be a bit longer. And posted very soon!~**


	2. Welcome to Jurassic World

The flight had gone by faster than Leah had anticipated. She figured it was probably because she'd slept towards the end of it, but she had no complaints about it. She stifled a yawn as she collected her luggage, and flipped through her phone contacts to find her uncle's number, selecting it and bringing it to her ear while she walked and searched for him. She had thought he'd be right there when she got out, but when she that he wasn't she assumed he was running a little late. No problem for her.

 **'Hey, Leahsaurus!'**

Leah smiled brightly at the nickname, looking around to see if she could find him. "Uncle Owen, I just landed. I've got my luggage and everything so we don't have to go hunting for it like we did last time! Are you running late?"

 **'You're already here? Ah, shit.'** Her smile dropped and she frowned. **'Listen, I got caught up with work so I missed the ferry out to the mainland. I'm so sorry, kiddo.'**

"Oh, it's fine!" Leah smiled, anxious that she was stuck in this huge airport surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of people.

 **'You remember where the ferry is? It's not far from the airport, about a ten minute drive. Just take the bus like we usually do. I'll be at the front entrance of the park when you get off of the train.'**

"Can't meet me when at the dock?"

 **'Sorry kiddo.'** She told him it was alright, and he sighed. **'Work is being a real bitch today."** Leah nodded and said a quick yes, and she heard someone say something to Owen. **'Alright, is that okay sweetheart? Want me to stay on the phone until you get on the bus?'**

Leah thought for a moment, looking around for the area that led to the buses. She nearly dropped her phone when someone bumped into her to get by, rather harshly. She looked up and glared at a young man that looked to be her age, headphones on and the hood to his gray jacket up on his head. She thought about yelling at him, but her anger diminished. He probably was too absorbed with his music to really be focused, so it might have been an accident. Trailing behind him was a little boy that looked no older than eleven with curly, dirty blonde hair and blue eyes that studied her for a moment. Leah thought that perhaps he was the young man's brother based on how he gripped at the older boys backpack while pulling his suitcase along. The older boy shooed him away a bit, muttering something to him and Leah frowned at how the younger ones shoulders slumped a bit, as though he had just be scolded. She watched them for a moment and noticed that they were heading in the direction the buses were.

 **'Leah?'** Oh, right. She was on the phone still.

"I'll be okay!" She hummed, smiling a bit. "I can see the bus from here! I'll see you soon!" She hung up and quickly moved in the direction the bus was at, hoping it wasn't full yet and she could get a good seat. She clambered in behind several people and smiled when she found a free spot by the window after having her luggage put away for her. The trip to the dock wasn't far, so the trip was quite short. All the traveling was making her sleepy, but it was almost over and she would be able to take it easy soon enough.

Once on the ferry, she found a nice spot to stand where she could watch the water as they moved, humming to herself. Everyone was chattering excitedly, talking about random things, laughing, smiling. A few children ran past her on deck, giggling and expressing how excited they were to see the dinosaurs, which one they were the most excited to see. A little redheaded boy ran with, holding a Triceratops plush in his arms. Leah smiled at him as he ran by her and happened to look up at her. "Hi." She greeted.

He giggled. "Your hair is pink! Mama, look at her hair!"

A woman came rushing over, trying to hush him and murmuring how it was 'rude to point'. Leah smiled and knelt down to his level. "It's alright. Hey, do you like stickers?"

The little boy looked at his mother for a moment, as though asking for permission to say yes. She sighed, smiling gently and nodding at him before he looked back at her. "Mhm!"

Grinning, Leah pulled her backpack off of her shoulder and unzipped it, digging through it and finding a pack of dinosaur stickers she had inside. She handed him a whole page and smiled. "Here. I think you might like these."

"Oh! Mama, look!" He looked up at her and showed her the page eagerly, waving it a bit. "It's got a triceratops on it too!"

The woman smiled and thanked Leah, holding her son's hand. "What do you say?"

"Thank you, lady!" He called, walking away with his mother and clutching his triceratops plush and sticker page close.

Leah turned to look around, and she noticed the two boy's from the airport. The older boy noticed her almost immediately when she looked their way, their eyes locking for a moment until Leah averted her gaze elsewhere, but not before she caught the tiny smile he sent her way. The younger one was excitedly talking about something, and he seemed ecstatic about being able to go to the park. However, when he noticed the older one wasn't paying attention to a thing he was saying, he looked away and sighed. She felt sorry for the younger boy, turning away finally to look back at the ocean as they made their way closer to the island. From there, she would get off and get on the Monorail that went to the park where she would meet up with her uncle.

She stretched her limbs as they docked, hurrying towards to the monorail so she could board and head to the park. She ended up being seated next to a woman who was dressed nicely, not like she was here for vacation. In her had was a magazine full of wedding dresses, and Leah gathered that she was planning her wedding. Plus the nice diamond ring on her finger gave her the impression as well. Seated in front of her were the two boys from before, yet again. The younger one still trying to get his older brothers attention by gently elbowing him. Ignored once more, the boy seemed to perk up when the driver came on over the PA to announce that they were close.

 ** _"Okay, those of you in the front of the train should be able to see our main gates. Those gates were part of the original park twenty years ago."_**

Leah watched the little boy hurry out of his seat and run to the front, smiling a bit. Must be his first time here, she figured, smiling more as the gates opened up and let them in, children chattering excitedly as they went through them and finally entered the park.

The train ride lasted a few more minutes before they all got off. Pulling her suitcase behind her, Leah stepped out and looked around, squinting as the sun hit her face. "Ah..." She grumbled, using her hand as a visor, looking around while the sea of people went around her or bumped into her. She wasn't one for big crowds, but she liked amusement parks for the attractions. She moved over to an empty bench and stood on it, looking around to see if she could spot her uncle amongst the thousands of people flooding into the park.

And then...

"Leahsaurus!"

She turned and grinned when she heard the nickname her uncle called her by, smiling more when she saw him making his way over to her. Leah hopped down from the bench and raced towards him, colliding with him in a tight embrace, giggling as he lifted her up a bit and spun her.

"Uncle Owen!"

Owen Grady was a tall man in his early thirties with russet brown hair and a nice tan to his skin. Currently, he was sporting a light blue button down with a brown vest, brown pants and combat boots. He was built, as was expected of someone who had served in the Navy for several years. Even after leaving he still stayed fit, especially since his job sort of required it. Before working at Jurassic World, he worked as a Dolphin trainer under the United States Navy Marine Program. Of course he had combat training, but working with animals had been his passion, and would be until the day he died. Most people thought he was serious, but Leah assumed it was just the way his face was. Plenty of women often stared at him, admiring him from afar, but to her knowledge Owen was far more interested in his work and animals.

That didn't mean he didn't try dating, oh no. It was just hard to find someone that accepted you worked with dangerous animals everyday.

"Your hair looks like cotton candy." He joked, setting her down to get a good look at her face. "Looks good on ya!"

Leah grinned. "Thanks. Mom freaked when I did it but she got used to it really fast." She explained, following him as he led her to his jeep. Owen took her suitcase from her and put it in the back seat while Leah got in the front seat and buckled up, digging through her backpack to find her sunglasses. Owen hurried to the drivers side and climbed in, noticing the book his niece had put on the dash in search of her shades while he put the key in the ignition and turned it, starting the car.

"Alan Grant's book?" He looked at her in surprise, taking the book off the dash to look at it for a moment.

"I found it at the bookstore recently. Thought it would be a good read."

"He's an interesting person."

"You've met him?" Leah looked at him in surprise, taking the book back as it was handed to her.

Owen nodded, smiling slightly as he put the jeep into drive. "I've mostly spoken to him over the phone. His studies about Velociraptor's are interesting. Plus he's interested in how my girls behave and all that." He explained, keeping his eyes on the road as he drove. "I've offered to let him come in and see for himself, but he refuses."

"He was involved with the original park, right?"

"Mhm. Even ended up on Sorna a few years back with some couple looking for their son. To him, bones are the way to study them, not up close and personal."

Leah nodded in understanding. It wasn't unreasonable of the good doctor. After all he'd gone through all those years ago, not once but twice, she knew if she'd been in his shoes she'd feel the same. "It's a shame though. The park is much safer now, in a way. A lot of people have found some sort of appreciation from it."

Owen smiled, letting his arm rest against the door as he changed the subject. "How's school?"

"It's alright."

"Passing classes?"

"Mhm."

"Got any new boyfriends I should know about?"He teased.

Leah snorted, giggling a bit. "Nope."

Owen reached over and rubbed the back of her neck, massaging it slightly. "I'm glad you're here. I actually," he paused, opening the glove compartment and pulling out an envelop, "got a favor cashed in and scored you something pretty sweet."

She looked at the envelop curiously before she took it, opening and pulling the contents out. "What?"

"A VIP pass." He grinned. "Allison owed me a favor, and I know how impatient you can be."

Leah grinned, slipping the blue wristband on. "How cool!"

"And she's offered to take you behind the scenes with some of our herbivores." He added in, smiling at how the teen grinned ear to ear. "She's supposed to come by in a bit and she'll give you the run down. I don't think you've ever actually met her before." He glanced at the clock and sighed. "Ah shit." He grumbled, leaning back in his seat slightly. "Head of security is coming out to watch the raptors in a few hours."

"Vic Hoskins?" Leah looked at him, fiddling with the wristband a bit. Owen looked at her, surprised she knew who he was talking about.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"He's always around. So is his name." She added, sighing softly. She'd never spoken to him, but he was always hanging around the raptor enclosure, watching Owen work. He never seemed very impressed and never stayed long enough for anyone to really converse with him. To Leah, he seemed like the kind of guy that had something to hide from the world, and for that she wasn't particularly fond of him. She knew that Owen didn't like him very much either. They didn't exactly see eye to eye, but they kept everything super professional. "Why does he want to watch them? He's watched them before, so why should this time be any different?"

"It's more of an 'evaluation'." Owen explained. "Kinda like a behavioral test. How well the raptors take commands and respond, stuff like that."

"He's never seemed this interested before."

"Yeah, well, things change I guess." He grumbled.

Owen parked the jeep just outside of his bungalow, turning the car off and climbing out with Leah. Grabbing her suitcase for her, he walked her to the door, unlocking it and stepping inside with her, sighing as the cool air hit him. "Got the room set up for you and everything. Closet is cleared out this time so you can put your clothes inside."

Leah nodded, setting her backpack down on the love-seat and humming. "You've gotten cleaner."

"You saying I was dirty before?" He asked, feigning hurt.

She snorted. "No, but this place was so cluttered last time."

"Yeah, well..." He trailed off, wandering into the kitchen area to grab a bottle of water. "I was still trying to finish unpacking."

Her brows rose. "After four years?"

Owen looked at her. "Hey, sometimes it takes a while for a guy to settle into a new place." He watched as she wandered down the hall and into the spare room to put her stuff in and probably change. Her clothes looked way too warm for this sort of humid and hot climate. "So, are you ready to have the best winter vacation you have ever had in your entire life?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't ready!"

 _If only they knew about the storm to come._

* * *

 **A/N: Oh, the foreshadowingggg, ah~! So next chapter, things will start to pick up. We'll finally be properly introduced to the Mitchell boys. And shenanigans will ensue.**


	3. Cancelled

**A/N: If you have been reading this, thank you! I really hope those of you that are keeping up with it are enjoying it!**

* * *

Jet lagged, Leah had laid down as soon as she had gotten into the room. Owen let her rest up for a few hours, taking the chance to get some rest himself. Earlier had been stressful. He'd gone in and did his daily routine with the raptors and it hadn't been the best practice run. They'd ignored most of his commands, acting out and disobeying him. And then Hoskins had called and told Owen that he'd be coming to watch them work later today and to be ready for the evaluation. One o'clock rolled around, and Leah emerged from the room, looking well rested. She had taken the opportunity to change out of her jeans and heavy t-shirt, and into a pair of shorts and a long sleeved blue button up that hung open to reveal the black tank top she wore underneath it. She smiled up at Owen and walked towards him, pretending to skate along the wooden floor in her socks. She sat down and set her purple converse down by her feet, taking the time to roll her sleeves up.

"Feel better?" Owen asked, sitting down by her.

She nodded, smiling up at him. "Much better. So, what are we planning to do today after that evaluation thing?"

"Dr. Fox is taking us to look at some of the herbivores. And after that I was thinking we could go to some exhibits. I know you still haven't been to them all."

Leah smiled, tying her shoes up and nodding. "And we can ride some of those rides, right?"

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, nodding. "Yes, we'll go one some of the rides. I thought you had motion sickness though?"

She jumped up excitedly, hurrying back down the hall and into her room to grab some stuff. "It's not so bad these days! I think I can handle a couple of roller coaster rides!"

Owen shook his head with a smile, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes for a moment. The door opening and closing caught his attention and he looked up to find brown eyes staring down at him.

"Hey, Owen."

Allison Fox was one of the many doctors on the island that tended to the herbivores. She mostly dealt with the Trikes and Apatosaurs on a daily basis, and was often studying ways to improve health for some of them. A background in paleontology and biology, she had been selected five years ago by Simon Masrani himself. The initial response was to turn the job down, but when she saw a dinosaur up close for the first time, she signed on almost instantly. She spent the next couple of years observing the animals, consulting others that worked in her field and sharing her findings, learning something new all the time. When she first met Owen, they had a mutual respect for each other almost instantly. Allison appreciated how he saw the relationships caretakers had with their animals, grateful they saw eye to eye. She was a somewhat simple woman, never overdressing for occasions. Even for work parties, she always wore something incredibly simple and never went all out. Owen had asked about it before out of curiosity, and the way she put it was "I'm not trying to get someone to notice me".

Clad in a simple brown button up that hung open, revealing the black tank she wore underneath and capris, her name tag hanging off of her belt. Her brown locks were pulled into a pony tail, sunglasses resting on top of her head. She grinned down at Owen, crossing her arms over chest. "Too early?"

Owen sat up straight. "I wasn't expecting you till later."

"Finished up with the trike in the field." She explained while walking to the kitchen to wash her hands in the sink. "Did your niece make it in?"

"Yeah, she's in her room grabbing some stuff." He glanced at the clock, sighing as the time to head to the paddock crept closer and closer. "Hey, has Hoskins come to see you yet?"

"About wanting to watch the animals? Yep." She sighed, scrubbing her hands thoroughly. "Big pain in my ass, and a waste of my time. And his too, apparently."

"Did he say that?" Owen raised a brow, standing up.

Allison snorted. "Of course he did. I don't know why he hasn't been fired yet. He said the Triceratops were too lazy and useless." She shook her hands a bit to get the excess water off before grabbing a dish towel on the counter and drying them. "What did he expect? Jousting?"

Owen laughed a bit, walking over and leaning in the doorway. "He's coming by to watch the raptors today."

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "And you're going to give him as much lip as you possibly can?"

"Hell yeah I will."

"Of course." Allison laughed softly, shaking her head and looking up as Leah came running into the kitchen. "This must be Leah."

Upon hearing her name, Leah looked up and smiled politely at the woman, adjusting the backpack on her back. "Hi!"

Allison smiled softly, holding a hand out to her. "Allison Fox. Nice to meet you."

"Allison here is the head vet for the herbivores on the island." Owen explained, watching the two shake hands. "She's offered to take you behind the scenes to get up close and personal with some of them."

"Is that even allowed?"

"As long as you're not doing it illegally, it's not a big deal. Besides, we're not going right out onto the field for it. We've got a separate area in the main field that's fenced off for our rehabilitation cases. Right now we've mostly got a few Trikes and Parasaurolophus' juveniles in there. And one baby Stegosaurus that's recovering from a small cold." Allison smiled at how excited the teen seemed about the prospect of seeing the rehab area. "We'll have two other kiddo's we need to swing by and pick up first, but I was hoping to watch the Velociraptor's in action first." She smiled, looking over at Owen.

He nodded, hands shoved in his pockets. "I don't have any objections to that." He looked at the clock on the wall and turned on his heel. "Speaking of raptors, we should head over there. I'm sure Hoskins will give me shit if I'm late."

* * *

To say that Owen Grady disliked Vic Hoskins was an understatement. The man's lack of respect for any of the animals in the park always got under Owen's skin, and the lack of respect for the caretakers that did everything to make sure these animals were properly taken care of. So no, he didn't dislike Hoskins.

 _He fucking hated him._

From her spot on the catwalk above the enclosure, Leah watched with Allison as a little pig came running from the brush squealing loudly and running away from the creatures snarling after it. Normally the little thing would have been snatched by now, but that wasn't the case this time it seemed. As the pack came racing out of the brush and into the open, Owen called out a command.

"Hold!"

Leah watched as the pig escaped safely and the Raptors came to a swift stop, chattering amongst themselves when they realized it was gone. Their attention fell on Owen as he called to them. Beside her, Allison made a soft sound.

"Last time I came to watch, they completely ignored him and took the pig. He's made more progress." She whispered softly, watching intently.

Once he had their attention, Owen used the clicker device in his hand. "Okay. Eyes on me." He frowned when the beta of the small pack, Blue, didn't listen to him. Clicking the device again, he called to her. "Blue." Click, click, click. "Blue!" Once he had her attention, he pointed at her. "Watch it." He warned. When one of them growled, he turned to where it came from and pointed. "Charlie! Hey, do-hey!" He pointed at her as she roared at him. "Don't give me that shit!"

Leah stifled her laughter, watching her uncle to see what he'd do next.

"Delta! Lock it up!" He watched them, and smiled to himself at how well they were responding. "Good!" He clicked the device. "And...we're moving!" He began to walk to the other side of the catwalk, slowly. Leah watched as they followed him, getting into position as he told them to hold. "Hey, that's good!" He grinned, standing by the reward bucket. "That is damn good." He clicked the device again and reached in to pull out some meat. "Very good! See, Charlie? That's what you get!" He told her, throwing the piece down to her and watching as she caught it. He did the same thing with Delta and Echo, and pulled out a dead rat, holding it up for Blue to see. "This one's for you." He told her. Leah watched Blue grab it with ease when it was thrown down to her, practically swallowing it whole. "Hold! Eyes up!" Everyone held their breath, watching as the four kept their eyes on Owen. "Go!" Owen signaled, and the Raptor's took off.

Everyone finally breathed, laughing and congratulating Owen for a great success.

Allison clapped him on the shoulder and smiled. "Last time I was here they didn't give a shit about listening to you. Very impressive, Owen. Well done!"

Barry slapped him on the back with a grin. "You finally did it, man!"

"Yeah, well..." Owen chuckled, scratching the back of his head and laughing as Leah hugged him tightly. "Whoa!"

"That was so cool!" She grinned, camera around her neck. Owen teased her about it on the car ride to the paddock, saying it gave her the true tourist look. "I got some great shots!" She told him, holding the camera up for him to see, only to be slightly shoved out of as Vic Hoskins came over to talk to her uncle, laughing. She frowned up at him. "Excuse me..."

He looked at her for a moment and chuckled. "Sorry, little lady. You with the press or something?" He asked, nodding to her camera.

Vic Hoskins was a former marine, and often used that to compare himself to Owen, often referring to them as "brothers of war". He was a middle aged man that was probably in his mid-forties, hair already graying. If he was ever in the Marines like he told everyone, he sure didn't look like it considering how out of shape he looked. He had an attitude that most everyone didn't like, and some of them often asked others how in the world Simon Masrani could have hired someone slimy like Vic Hoskins to run the security of this park.

Leah opened her mouth to yell at him, only to have Owen intervene. "My niece, Leah. She's here for winter break."

"Oh!" Hoskins turned and gave her a smile. All the while she resisted the urge to cringe. "Hope you enjoyed the show."

"Sure." Leah nodded, stepping back a bit and looking at Owen as Hoskins spoke to him, leading him in the other direction while mentioning a field test of some sorts.

Beside them, Barry sighed and shook his head. "He comes here almost every other day we do this test, and he's only interested in what these animals can be used for, not about them."

Allison looked at him. "He's the same way with the Trikes, but I think he gave up on the idea when he saw that they're like over-sized cows." She scoffed, leaning against the railing. "They don't fight unless they need to." She watched as Leah went through the pictures, smiling. "Hey, those are some really great shots."

The teen smiled, looking up at her. Photography was a fun hobby that she found she was incredibly good at and enjoyed the most.

"Hey, if you take some pictures at the center, would you mind giving me some copies? I'd love to frame them up and put them in my office." Allison smiled, stepping down from the catwalk with her while Leah happily agreed to give her some copies. "Owen, are you ready to go?"

Owen looked over, frustration clear on his face while Hoskins turned to look their way. "We're in the middle of a conversation here, doctor."

Owen sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'll meet up with you two later. You okay with going with Allison, Leah?"

The girl nodded, a bit disappointed. "Yeah, that's fine. Just don't forget about me though!" She added with a playful pout, hurrying over and kissing his cheek. "Promise you'll ride some of the rides with me?"

Owen smiled, ruffling her hair a bit. "I promise. Now get goin'." He urged, watching as she ran after Allison, who gave him a wave. Hoskins sighed and turned his attention back to him.

"So, about that field test."

* * *

The park was full of people, which was no surprise. Everyone was crowded around different things, walking to exhibits or standing in line for an overpriced burger or hotdog. It was almost overwhelming to Leah. She stayed close to Allison as she led them through the sea of people towards a small patio area just outside of the pyramid shaped building that housed the innovative center. The food court was also beside it and the patio was a convenient area to sit down and relax while enjoying a meal in the shade. Allison stopped walking and Leah nearly bumped into her. She looked up and found that the doctor was scanning the area, looking for the people she said they were supposed to meet up with and take along with them for the private tour.

"Ah, over there." Allison pointed, Leah's eyes following the direction she was pointing to. She was surprised to see the woman she had been sitting by on the monorail sitting down at the table, sunglasses on while she looked at her phone. Allison moved towards her, Leah following behind. "Excuse me, Zara?"

The woman looked up and lowered her sunglasses a bit to look up. "Yes, that's me." She said, her British accent surprising Leah.

"How do you do?" Allison smiled, holding her hand out for Zara. "Dr. Allison Fox."

Leah watched as the woman ignored Allison's hand, frowning at how snooty she seemed to be. Her eyes followed her hand as she gestured to the table beside her where Leah recognized two more familiar faces.

The boys she had seen at the airport.

"You two must be Zach and Gray." Allison smiled kindly, offering her hand to them. The oldest boy shook her hand briefly, while the younger one shook it with more enthusiasm.

Leah looked at them and shifted a bit when she locked eyes with the older boy. Now that she had time to really look at him she liked what she saw. Brown eyes full of expression, almost hidden away by the fringe of hair that rested just above his eyes. He stood up with his brother, eyes still locked with hers. He looked bored and like he would rather be somewhere else. He was tall and rather lithe, a very simple looking young man. Leah found it odd that he was wearing a jacket in this kind of weather. Perhaps he had a high tolerance to heat?

"Are you the lady that's taking us on the private tour?" She tore her gaze away from the older boy to look at his younger brother.

Allison nodded. "That would be me! So which one of you is which?" She asked, looking between the two. The oldest boy was too absorbed with his phone to really be paying attention so the younger one answered her question.

"That's Zach and I'm Gray." Gray pointed between the two. His eyes landed on Leah, and he watched her curiously. "Your hair is cool."

She smiled. "Thanks. I'm Leah. Good to meet you. Is this your first time here?"

Gray nodded, smiling shyly. "Mhm. We're here visiting our aunt."

"If you can count passing us off onto her assistant a 'visit'." Zach scoffed, arms crossed over his chest as he looked away.

It was silent as they stood there, Allison clapping her hands together. "Well, let's get to the jeep and-"

" _ **Dr. Fox!"**_

Allison paused, reaching for her radio and pressing a button. "This is Dr. Fox. What's up?"

" _ **The baby Stego has started to take a bad turn."**_ The person, a woman, spoke in an almost panicked tone with rushed words.

She sighed, rubbing her temples a bit. "Shit..." She cursed under her breath. "What happened?"

" _ **Dr. Lange**_ _ **gave us the okay to put her back into the field with the others. She was responding well to treatment a-and-"**_

At this she frowned. Eric Lange was one of the original scientists that had worked under Henry Wu at the original Jurassic Park twenty years ago. While he was a doctor and knew the animals as well as the rest of the island doctors did, he had no authorization of when something went back into the field or not.

So why the hell had he gone and given the order?

"Quarantine her _now._ If she's declining this fast, than it might be just more than a cold. We can't risk her giving it to the other animals. I'll be right there." She sighed and looked at the group apologetically. "The tour will have to be delayed for now, I'm afraid. Only for a few hours." Her gaze went to Zara. "Would it be too much to ask for Leah to stick with you until I get back?"

"Oh, not at all."

"Good." She looked to Leah and smiled. "Sorry about this. I'll be back soon and we can start that tour."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine! I don't mind having to wait."

Allison smiled graciously and patted her shoulder before she raced back to her jeep. Leah sighed softly, shifting uncomfortably. It was awkward being around people she had only met moments ago. She felt herself growing anxious, playing with her fingers nervously out of habit.

"So..."

"Wanna go to the petting zoo?" Gray asked.

Leah smiled, relieved he had broken the awkward silence for them. "Sounds fun. They have some cool little critters there."

As they walked ahead of the others, Gray chatted with her happily. "I heard that you can ride the Triceratops!"

Gray was a talkative boy, she discovered in just a matter of minutes. Smart too. He knew what dinosaur came from what time period and phylum they belonged to, as well as some of their heights. He even knew how many tons of food the park had to keep in order to feed the animals. Leah listened, learning from him while giving him the opportunity to talk as much as he wanted. She could tell that Gray and Zach's relationship was incredibly strained when she had seen them on the ferry to the island. Zach seemed so disinterested with his surroundings, staring down at his phone and occasionally looking up to make sure he could still Leah and Gray. Behind them was Zara, trailing after them in an almost irritable manner. She was not dressed for a day in a park like this, wearing heels and a nice blouse and pants that would easily be stained should she spill anything on them. Leah could tell she wasn't fond of the job her boss had given her for the day. She would ask Gray to slow down so rudely, and of course when the boy seemed to ignore her, she would heave a sigh of irritation.

They stopped by a few of the outdoor exhibits that had some plaques with information about some of the plants in certain areas, Gray snapping a quick picture of them before he led the way to the next exhibit.

Leah hummed, snapping some pictures here and there, like any other tourist. Beside her was Zach, watching Gray to make sure he didn't run off before his attention went back to his phone, or wandered onto a group of girls that would walk by laughing about something. Gray called to him to come look at something, but Zach ignored him and kept looking at his phone. Leah turned the flash on her camera on and took a picture of him when he looked up next. He grunted, squeezing his eyes shut a bit before opening them and giving her a look.

"What the hell?"

"There are far more interesting things to look at here instead of being on your phone constantly." She chided, getting an eye roll from him.

As they neared the petting Zoo, Gray raced ahead so he could get a better look. Unfortunately there was a large crowd of people gathered along the fence, watching as their children rode on some of the Triceratops or played with a baby Gallamimus. Leah watched as Gray hopped up and down trying to get a better look. He looked at Zach as he walked towards him.

"Lift me up. I can't see!"

Zach rolled his eyes, striding right by him. "I'm not dad. And you're not five."

Gray hurried after him, hopping onto a small bench. "I can still ride the Triceratops! I'm 47.5 inches." He snapped a picture with his camera.

Zach sighed. "This place is for little kids."

"Yeah, I know. Wanna go on the spinning dinosaur eggs?"

"Nope." He looked over and saw Leah was taking a few pictures herself, her back to him. He looked back at Gray and sighed when he saw the little fanny pack he had around his waist, reaching over and nudging him. "Cover up your dork pouch."Gray looked at him for a moment before looking back to continue taking photographs. Leah looked at Zach and glared at him as he was turned away. Their caretaker was too busy talking on her phone to pay attention. She overheard the woman talking about her wedding and a bachelor party for her fiance. Zach took notice of the situation and smirked slightly.

"Scatter."

"What?"

" Go. Run!" Zach urged. Gray took off instantly. When Leah didn't budge, Zach grabbed her wrist and pulled her along. "Go, go, go!"

"Wha!?"

He didn't answer her, instead pulled her along as the trio ran away from their babysitter to explore the park on their own at their own pace.

* * *

 **A/N: Not much character interaction this chapter with the boys aand Leah, but next chapter is when things will start to sort of pick up. I don't like how the pacing is, but I think I'll adjust it by next chapter. Thanks for reading! See you next chapter!**


	4. A Day in the Park

**A/N: Bah, the pacing is still sort of slow. Next chapter things will start to pick up ;3! Interaction between Zach and Leah isn't happening as much as I'd like, only because I'm not sure how to write it at a pace I feel is necessary in order for them to grow quite close. At the moment Leah isn't his biggest fan, but that'll change soon enough ;)! Enjoy!**

* * *

Zach sighed softly as Gray pushed passed a crowd of people that were pressed up against the glass. He had led them to the T-Rex exhibit so they could watch it be fed. He stayed more towards the back while Gray pushed forward to get a better look while Leah stayed back, content with watching from where she was. She jumped a bit when she heard the low groan of the T-Rex as she approached, heavy footfalls slightly shaking the floor as she appeared from the tree's and moved to the goat that had been set out for her. A little boy was chanting for her to eat it, and everyone made sounds of disgust as she finally grabbed the goat up in one bite, the sound of bones crunching making most of the tourists cringe. Sounds of disgust and excitement were mixed together among the crowd.

Leah snapped a picture as some people moved away, looking over when Zach's phone rang. He dug through his pocket and pulled out his phone, bringing it to his ear.

"Hey, mom." He paused, and Leah figured his mother was asking him how things were and how he was. "Yeah, uh, I guess. Aunt Claire gave us passes so we don't have to wait in line."

He locked gazes with Leah and she quickly turned away, not wanting to seem like she was eavesdropping on his conversation. She moved closer to the glass as people filed out of the exhibit, standing beside Gray so she could watch the creature.

"She's got some scars." Gray pointed out. Leah looked closely and sure enough, the Tyrannosaur's skin was marred around her neck and shoulder area. "I wonder how she got them?"

"I heard she was at the original park." She looked up and noticed the T-Rex was staring at them from her place outside. "Maybe something attacked her after everyone left?"

As she studied her, she paid close attention to her eyes. They looked tired, weary almost. The animal had been alive for probably twenty plus years, maybe even before Jurassic Park had started to be built. It was a wonder she was still alive. As far as she knew, none of the other animals from the original park had lived as long as this one had, and she wondered if that was what made her so popular with the tourists. For something so large and dangerous, this creature was calm, almost curious about the humans watching her. Leah had read Alan Grant's book about his experience with the park, and how this particular Tyrannosaur had nearly killed him and John Hammond's two grandchildren when the power had gone out with the electrical fences, allowing her to escape and roam free.

"Why are you just staring at it?"

She frowned and looked up to find Zach standing beside her now, hands shoved in his pockets. Her attention went back to the beast in front of them.

"It's nice to watch and appreciate something that should still be extinct, yet it's here in front of us like this. Some people will never get to experience something like this ever. They say staring into an animal's eyes is like staring into their soul." Leah explained, bringing her camera up and taking a quick picture before the Rex could move away. She got a few good shots before the creature let out a yawn and lazily turned away, wandering back into the forested enclosure.

Gray led the way out, deciding they would go see the Mosasaurus next.

"So, where are you from?" Zach asked, making small talk as they walked. He usually didn't have a hard time talking to any other girl. It all came naturally to him, but with her he found it almost...difficult.

"Utah. You?"

"Illinois. Are you here by yourself?"

"I came by myself." She explained, fixing her hair as they walked. "My uncle works here though, so I'm staying with him during the break."

"He ditch you too?" Leah swore she could hear resentment in his voice.

She frowned. "Nah. He's meeting up with me later." She ran a hand through her hair and held her hair tie between her lips as she pulled her hair into a messy bun, holding it in place and tying it off so it was away from her neck. "We're going to ride all the rides we can today!"

"Like the spining dinosaur eggs!?" Gray asked excitedly.

Leah grinned. "Yep! Even the spinning dinosaur eggs!"

Zach watched the two walk ahead of him, Gray holding onto Leah's hand as they walked side by side. It was like she was a kid!

"How old did you say you were?" Zach asked.

"Seventeen, same age as you." She hummed, looking back at him over her shoulder with a smile. She had a really nice smile. "Except you act like a grumpy old man." She laughed at the frown he gave her.

"He's just grumpy because he misses his girlfriend." Gray said.

"Shut-up." Zach hissed.

"Oh, it must be so very hard for you." Leah teased.

"For your information, I broke up with her as soon as we got on the flight to come here."

"Really now?" When he didn't answer her she thought about asking what happened, deciding against it and turning back around, watching what was in front of her as Gray led the way to the Mosasaur Lagoon for the show. The arena was huge, and people were already packing in. Because they had VIP passes, they were able to get a seat towards the middle in the lower section, providing them with a good view of the water. Leah slipped her backpack off and opened it, pulling out the case for her camera and setting it inside so it wouldn't get damaged by the water (they were in the splash zone) that would inevitably get on them. She ended up sitting next to Zach, watching him take his phone out and mess with it. Rolling her eyes, she looked around as more people poured in for the show. In her pocket, she felt her own phone vibrate.

She pulled it out and answered it quickly. "Hello?"

" _ **Hey, how's the tour?"**_ It was Owen.

"Ah, it had to be delayed. Dr. Fox had to go take care of an emergency so she left me with the others that were supposed to go with us. Right now we're about to see the Mosasaur. She swore she heard someone talking in the background, like a woman. However it was hard to hear what her uncle was saying because of the loud people around them. "Uh, I can't really hear you."

" _ **I said I'm going to be a little bit late meeting up with you. I was asked to go check out a paddock. I'll call you when I'm finished, alright?"**_

"Okay. Love you."

" _ **Love you too."**_

The line clicked and she hummed, pulling her phone away from her ear just in time as the caretaker for the Mosasaur came onto the PA to talk about the show.

" **Welcome to the Mosasaur Show. My name is Alicia Bryant, and I'm the caretaker of our park's Mosasaur."**

She talked about her background for a bit, and how she had been working with marine mammals for about 10 years before she took the job here. She could hear Gray snapping pictures every few seconds on the other side of Zach, smiling a bit. Of course, Zach wasn't paying attention and probably not listening to anything being said.

" **The Mosasaurus was thought to have hunted near the surface of the water, preying on anything it could sink its teeth into, including turtles, large fish, even smaller Mosasaurs."**

Leah looked up as a dead shark was moved over the water, hanging quite a ways up from it on a pulley system. "Oh, they're going to feed it." She mused.

" **All right, folks, let's see if she's still hungry after already eating today.** " The shark came to a stop, dangling lifelessly. **"She's a little shy, so be nice and give her a big hand when she comes out."**

Gray grabbed Zach's shoulder and shook it. "Zach, the Mosasaurus."

He didn't answer, and Leah looked at him, noticing he was looking at a girl on his phone. She was a cute blonde with pretty eyes and a pretty face. In her hands, she held what looked like a sticky note with the words 'miss you' on it. She figured it was the girlfriend he claimed he broke up with.

"Zach, Zach, the Mosasaurs!"

Leah tore her gaze away and turned it onto the water, watching as the Mosasaurus swam up towards the surface at a fast pace. She was startled at the low roar it gave as it jumped from the water and up towards the shark, chomping down on it. Zach had looked up in time to see it, watching as it pulled the shark from the pulley and fell back down into the water. Beside him, Leah screamed as the water hit them, soaking them thoroughly. Gray was laughing on his other side, and he couldn't help but laugh with him. Gray grabbed his shoulder.

"Oh my god! That was awesome!" He exclaimed, looking over at Leah. "That was so cool!"

She giggled and nodded, looking around as their seats began to move down.

" **Hold on tight. We're going to give you an even closer look at our Mosasaur."**

It was much like Sea World, the glass below the arena providing a clear view of the Mosasaur and the shark she had taken a bite out of, blood oozing from it and making a small trail in the water. Sounds came from the tank and Leah smiled, finding them oddly soothing and similar to that of a whale. She clapped like everyone else, watching as the Mosasaur grabbed the rest of the shark and ate it, people standing up and cheering excitedly.

"It had eighty-eight teeth!" Gray pointed out, lifting his camera and snapping a few pictures with it. Leah used her phone, sending the best one to Owen.

Zach laughed beside her and she couldn't help but smile up at him when he nudged her, pleased he was actually enjoying himself. "You guys wanna see something else cool?"

Leah nodded and Gray smiled eagerly. "Yeah!"

After snapping a few more good pictures, the trio left the arena and tried to figure out where to go next. Leah had a park map opened up on her phone, looking at the locations and schedules. "We could go on the river tour. Or we could go to the Aviaty."

Zach looked at the map over her shoulder, studying it for a moment. "What about the Gyrospheres? That sounds pretty cool."

Leah tapped it, pulling a description up. "It's a ride, kind of like a free hand safari if that makes sense? You control the vehicle and where you want to go." She looked at Gray and showed him her phone so he could read it. "What do you think? Does it sound like fun?"

Gray jumped up and down excitedly. "Yes! Can we go?"

Zach looked at him and then Leah, smiling slightly. "Sure. Lead the way."

"To the Gyrospheres!"

* * *

Allison sighed softly as she sat by the sedated Stegosaur calf, petting its neck soothingly as she ran some tests on it, taking cultures from its mouth and drawing blood so they could figure out what the problem seemed to be. She ran a hand through her brown locks, sighing again and laying her head back against the wall. "I don't understand. She was fine this morning when I left. Her samples from yesterday came back nice and clean."

Her assistant looked over at her, pausing her work with the slides. "Do you think we may have missed something?"

She shook her head. "No. I don't miss anything like that. I even had Jack look and he didn't see anything either. Was there anything strange about her when I left earlier?"

The assistant, Marissa, shook her head after she thought about it. "No, not at all. We kept her in the quarantine area outside for a bit like you instructed and she really perked up. Katherine walked around with her the entire time and made sure nothing out of the ordinary happened."

"And Katherine wouldn't miss anything like that..." She whispered to herself, stroking the Stegosaurs' head gently. "Kat, c'mere!"

Katherine Grant was a twenty-six year old that had recently received her bachelor's degree in animal science just a year ago. When she had been six years old, her father had brought her and her older sister Cora to Jurassic Park for the evaluation. It was meant to be a nice family bonding experience as they were not so close to their father, and being in his care was incredibly uncommon. Memories from the park were vague, except for waking up in the back seat of the unharmed jeep to find she had been left all by herself until her father's girlfriend at the time and the game warden of the park discovered her. To this day, her father and sister still couldn't believe she had slept through the entire incident with the T-Rex.

But perhaps it was best that way, since she often worked with the Tyrannosaur that had wreaked havoc on the original Jurassic Park twenty years ago.

She walked in quickly upon being called, blonde locks pulled back in a ponytail. "What's up?"

"Marissa said you were with the baby this morning after I left."

She nodded. "That's right."

"Did she eat anything odd?"

"No. She mostly ran around while she was out in the pasture. She's been so cooped up inside here all week, so she was happy to be back outside."

Allison nodded, standing up carefully and handing the blood sample over to her assistant. "Take a look at this for me, will you?"

"I will. Where are you going?"

"To have a word with Dr. Lange. I want to know why the hell he told you to put the baby back in the field with the others."

The two watched her leave, Marissa getting back to work with the samples while Katherine sat with the Stegosaur calf. Like the rest of the animals, she was created, not born to an animal here at the park. Allison had practically raised her, caring for the sickly calf as soon as it had hatched. It often caught a cold, and it was always easily treatable and gone within days. It was cute how it thought Allison was its mother, but other doctors on the island like Dr. Lange thought it was wrong for her to raise the calf. Herd behaviors were what he tended to study, and since these animals weren't born inside the park to a mother, it would not be possible to see how a herd would react to an infant dinosaur. Most caretakers thought it unwise, only introducing the animals to their herd slowly and at a particular age.

This calf, who they all had affectionately called Ivy, had roamed with her kind before. And they had accepted her. The hope had been one of the females would accept Ivy like she were her own calf, but it had not happened. And that was a stressful situation for a creature that was still dependent on a parent. So Allison would let the baby roam with the herd each day, and the baby would come back to her by the end of the day to go back to her own little enclosure at the rehab center.

At the end of the hall, Allison was yelling into her phone.

"What the hell makes you think you can come in here and give clearance for something you're not in charge of?"

" _ **You can't keep that calf inside the center forever, Dr. Fox. You know that as well as I do."**_

She grit her teeth, gripping the phone so tight that her knuckles began to whiten. Eric Lange was a frustrating man in his late forties that always ran his own agenda, much like Vic Hoskins did. He had more experience with the animals than most of the people working here did aside from Henry Wu. Having been a key scientist for InGen back in the nineties, he had also been a part of the San Diego initiative, given the position of head doctor before the project was shut down completely after what had happened. When Simon Masrani had bought the rights for InGen, he hired Lange like he did Wu, based on their experience with the original park and their credentials of course.

In terms of experience Lange had more than she did and that was all fine with her. However he wasn't in charge of the rehabilitation department and therefore had no authorization to do so.

He had come to Marissa and told her that Allison had given him permission to authorize it.

"I'm in charge of this facility, Dr. Lange. I've told you that you are more than welcome to study her out in the field but she is not to stay out there until she's old enough. Is that understood?"

He laughed and Allison felt her already thin patience declining at an alarming rate. _**"**_ _ **You sound just like Sorkin. That calf is going to have to go out into the herd sooner or later, and I'll be there to make sure it does."**_

The line clicked and Allison slammed the phone down, rubbing her temples. Katherine came in not long after.

"I'm heading over to Control to pick up some stuff. Need anything?"

"Yeah, a cannon so I can send Lange to the moon."

Katherine giggled. "How does coffee sound?"

"Lovely. Thank you." She smiled graciously, practically collapsing back into her desk chair and sighing.

"I'll be back then!" Katherine ducked out and closed the door, leaving the good doctor to herself.

Allison leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes as she tried to relax. It was short lived as her phone rang. With a sigh, she leaned forward and grabbed it. "This is Allison."

She recognized the familiar voice of Claire Dearing, the woman's breathing ragged.

 _ **"We have an asset out of containment."**_

* * *

 **A/N: Ohohoh~! Thanks so much for all the favorites and follows! I really appreciate and I'm very happy that you guys are liking this so far! Thank you! See you next time!**


	5. Asset Out Of Containment

**A/N: It's been two years since I started writing for this and recently my spark to continue semi returned? Sorry for being semi sporadic, I promise some of the slew of characters here get some more explanations on them and bits and pieces about who they are and how they are shortly.**

* * *

In order to get to reach the Gyrospheres, they had to take the monorail. When the next train arrived, they boarded with everyone else that was waiting around for it. Gray sat by the window and Zach sat down beside him while Leah took the seat directly next to theirs. Behind them were some girls, chatting and glancing at Zach every now and then, giggling. She rolled her eyes, turning her attention to the outside and watching as they whizzed past some trees.

"Nice backpack." Someone said. She looked in front of her and found some girls giggling. For a moment she thought it was a compliment and she almost thanked them.

"What a weirdo!" The girl whispered to her friend, both bursting into a fit of giggles.

Leah looked down at her bag and sighed. It had dinosaurs covering it and essentially it was meant for a child. She liked it however, and enjoyed taking it on trips like this. She pulled it to her and hugged it to herself. Her face was hot with embarrassment, and she looked away from everyone else and looked outside, trying to ignore the two as they quietly teased her.

Zach looked away from the girls he had been talking to and over at Leah. He frowned and glanced at the girls that were sitting in front of her briefly before looking back at her and watching how she clutched the backpack to her chest, trying to hide it away from the world. She didn't seem bothered by it before, but it bothered him that someone felt the need to say stuff like that to her. He opened his mouth to ask if she was okay, only to stop when Gray spoke.

"If mom and dad get divorced, will one of us be with mom and the other be with dad?"

The question surprised Zach, catching him off guard. He looked at him with a frown. "What? Why would you say that?"

"'Cause they are."

"No, they're not getting divor- They're not getting divorced." Gray nodded and Zach sighed. "You haven't been around long enough. They've always been like that."

He sniffled. "They get mail from two different lawyers."

"That doesn't mean anything."

Gray whimpered. "I googled. They're divorce lawyers."

At this point he began to cry, and Zach had become frustrated. His parents had been struggling with their marriage the last two years. The fighting increased, disagreements always happened, and someone was always mad with one or the other. So yes, their parents marriage wasn't perfect. Neither was the world. He'd long since accepted it. "Okay, well it doesn't matter. I'll be gone in two years anyway. All my friends parents are divorced, and..." He paused, trying to find the words to say, only to be interrupted as a soft sob came from Gray. "Hey, knock it off." Gray shook his head and he scoffed. "You're gonna cry?"

Leah looked over and frowned at the scene playing out, having been listening in on the conversation. Gray was bawling his eyes out and Zach was quietly scolding him for doing so.

"Look, you're gonna get two of everything. Right? You're gonna get two birthday's, two Thanksgiving's, two-"

"I don't want two of everything." Gray sobbed, his body shaking.

"Ugh, please stop crying..." He groaned. "Look, it's not up to you. You're going to have to grow up eventually."

"Stop." Leah looked at him, her demeanor calm. Her voice was stern, but with a gentle undertone to it. As her eyes locked with Zach's, she could see the underlying hurt within them. He put on a brave face and an attitude that made it seem like he didn't care, but he did, deep down. She knelt down a bit and reached for Gray's hand, grabbing his attention. "Hey..." She whispered, smiling kindly when he sniffled. "I know it's hard, and it's going to be hard, but you'll be okay. You're very smart and I think you're strong."

"H-How do you know?" He asked, hiccuping. Leah massaged the back of his hand gently, rubbing soothing circles along it.

"Well, I don't." She smiled sheepishly. "But your parents, I'm sure they both love you very much. And they're always going to love you, even if they aren't married anymore. I know you'll be able to get through it. Marriage is just something on a piece of paper. Sometimes those papers don't last forever. But the love for the children that come from that marriage is an eternity." Leah reached up, wiping his tears away with her thumbs gently. She glanced up at Zach and smiled. "You can't be a kid forever, and you will have to grow up eventually. But you don't have to grow up today or tomorrow. You're only a kid once in your life. Use that time to be one. Right now, you're here to have fun, not think about the bad stuff. Okay?" She asked, looking back up at Gray.

He nodded, rubbing his eyes and giving her a tiny smile. "O-Okay..."

Zach mumbled a soft apology to Gray, but the latter either didn't hear him or he ignored it. Leah smiled slightly, sitting back down in her seat and smiling when Gray got up and moved over to sit with her, resting his head on her shoulder in comfortable silence. She felt Zach looking at her, but she chose to ignore it, running her fingers through Gray's hair soothingly, smiling as he muttered something.

"I think your backpack is cool..."

The compliment made her smile even more, and she let her head fall back against the headrest on her seat. She spared Zach a glance when she still felt him staring, frowning at him. He wasn't very good when it came to comforting someone, but perhaps it was because the issue Gray had brought up affected him too. He looked like he wanted to say something, but if he did, he either decided against it or forgot what it was, leaning back in his seat and sighing almost irritably.

Ten minutes later, the train came to a stop and they got off. Gray calmed down and the tension between him and Zach had more or less left, leaving Leah at peace. There was already a large line for the Gyrospheres, and for a moment Gray seemed unsure about it. "What if we never get to them?"

"VIP passes, dude." Zach reminded, holding his wrist up to remind the younger boy that they had them. "We won't have to wait long."

Leah nodded, fanning herself with her hand. It was so hot already, and the humidity only made it worse. She glanced at Zach. "How can you not be hot?"

He looked at her and smiled, mirth in his eyes. "I like to think I'm very hot." He laughed when she rolled her eyes.

"I meant like sweaty!"

Zach shrugged. "Dunno. I just really like this jacket."

"In hundred degree weather?"

It was his turn to roll his eyes. "It's not that hot."

As the line moved, Gray spewed all sorts of facts that Leah never even heard about, fascinating her to no end, even though Gray was mostly talking to Zach. He was too busy looking ahead of them to be paying attention to a word Gray said. There was a pretty girl with a group ahead of them waiting for her turn. She kept glancing back at Zach and smiling at him before looking away. Leah looked up at him and in the direction he was looking before looking back at him. She reached up, pushing his chin slightly. "You shouldn't let your mouth hang open like that, you might swallow a prehistoric bug or something."

He shot a glare at her and Gray snickered beside her.

She ignored him and looked at Gray, listening to what he had to say. He was currently explaining how it was much easier to bring back a dinosaur than when they first attempted it back in the nineties. For a boy of eleven, Leah was impressed with how smart he was. She was sure he had an IQ higher than anyone else she knew, even herself. She was smart, but not that smart. No, Gray was something of a little genius.

"What they didn't know at the time was that the soft tissue was perserved because the iron in the dinosaurs blood generates free radicals, and those are highly reactive. So the proteins and the cell membranes get all mixed up a-and act as a natural preservative. DNA can survive millennia that way!"

"Wow!" Leah exclaimed, listening closely. "So, in reality they didn't really need to use dino blood?"

Gray nodded. "Mhm! So now, even if the amber mines dry up, they'd still have the bones and-"

"Shut up." Zach muttered, tapping Gray's shoulder.

He looked up at him and frowned, glancing over to see Zach was back to looking at those girls. Leah elbowed Zach, quietly telling him to not be so mean. However the teen ignored her, and Gray glared at him.

"What do you think's gonna happen from you just staring at them?"

Leah snorted and the girls ahead of them giggled, looking at Zach before they moved ahead to get inside the big sphere. Zach sighed beside them and looked down.

"Thanks man."

Gray grinned. "You're welcome."

The next sphere came up, a three seater just for them. Gray climbed in first, Zach followed him, and Leah climbed in after Zach. The seats weren't very comfy, but they weren't all that bad. She buckled up and looked up as the door slid down and closed. Gray was practically bouncing in his seat as they began to move down the track towards the open field. Leah looked around the sphere and noticed a control stick between Gray and Zach. So it really was like a free range safari. The field was huge, tree's here and there. Yet it was empty. There were no dinosaurs yet, and she looked around, trying to see if she could see any nearby, or at least the direction they were all in. Zach had taken control of the 'Hamster Ball' he had named, and a video started up on the small screen. Leah recognized the voice of Jimmy Fallon, looking over to watch. He was dressed up in a white lab coat and safety goggles. Behind him was a chalkboard with a drawing of the Gyrosphere on it.

" **Hey there! I'm Jimmy Fallon. Welcome aboard the Gyrosphere, the amazing machine made possible by science."**

Zach looked behind them and Gray stared at the screen with a bored expression as the comedian accidentally wrecked the whole lab table. As fascinating as it was to hear what the Gyrosphere was made of and what it kept them safe from, it was a boring demonstration and not very funny. Gray was growing impatient, looking every which way.

"Where are they?"

As they rounded a corner, the low bellow of a dinosaur could be heard, and Zach's eyes widened, jaw dropping a bit. "Oh, man."

Leah looked up and smiled brightly as they rode by a Triceratops. The large creature yawned, bellowing softly as she stood up, watching them roll by. "Wow..." She whispered, looking up as they rolled by an Apatosaurus. Some of the dinosaurs stopped to watch them, some walking by and staring into the ball curiously. Leah felt her eyes tear up a bit and she reached up to wipe them.

"Why are you crying?" Zach asked softly. Was she upset?

She laughed and looked up at him, rubbing her eyes. "They're beautiful." Her eyes welled up more and tears began to stream down her face as she looked back outside, wiping her eyes. "You never think that you'll get to see something like this ever, but when you do you really have a new appreciation for life." She pulled her phone out and snapped a picture of a nearby Stegosaurus.

Zach smiled, watching her curiously. She was different, but in a good way. They were all startled when the screen began to beep, the three looking over as a voice came on.

" **Due to Technical difficulties, all our exhibits are now closed. Please disembark all rides and return to the resort."**

They hadn't even been out ten minutes. Gray looked at the teens, disappointment in his eyes that they had to go back already. He sighed softly and looked down at his lap, playing with his fingers. Zach frowned, shaking his head.

"Come on. No, we can stay out a couple more minutes." He smiled at Gray reassuringly.

Gray frowned. "But they said they were closed."

"Aunt Claire gave us special wristbands. VIP, dude." He looked at Leah, hoping she would back him up.

"I really think we should go back. We might get in trouble." She muttered.

"Oh, come on. Live a little." Zach encouraged, grinning at her. She studied him for a moment. He was smiling at her and she couldn't help but smile at how he wanted to stay longer, not for him or her, but for Gray. He had been so excited to go, and when they finally got up close and personal with these magnificent creatures, they were expected to go back. Leah looked at Gray and smiled, reaching over and rubbing his arm.

"It won't hurt to stay out a bit longer. But only for a few more minutes." She looked at Zach sternly, making sure the message sank in.

Gray smiled at her and Zack nudged her playfully. "Now you're talking. Come on, it'll be fun." He grinned, pushing the stick forward and making the ball speed up.

Leah gripped the arm rests tightly, laughing as some of the dinosaurs ran alongside them. For a moment she was worried they would run into the ball, but they seemed to know better, keeping their distance. Gray hummed, taking some pictures as they slowed down, making a few comments here and there.

Zach's phone ringing caught Leah's attention. She watched him pull it from his pocket and bring it to his ear. "Hey, Claire...Yeah, I-I can't really hear you. We're in the hamster ball." He frowned. "Hello? Hello?"

Gray looked at him and then Leah. She smiled. "Must be bad reception in here."

Zach ended the call when it seemed to drop, looking at his phone. "No kidding."

"Is something wrong?" She looked at him. Their eyes locked for a moment and she felt her face heat up.

"No, everything's fine." He smiled, continuing to lead them further through the field. Gray was too busy looking out the window to really ask what was going on.

"Maybe we should head back now. We've been out here long enough I think." Leah said, shifting in her seat uncomfortably as she checked her phone. There was no service, and she hadn't missed any calls from anyone.

"Aw, come on." Zach said, steering them further down the field. "Don't be so lame."

"I'm not being lame, I'm being practical."

"Practical is boring in my book."

"And what book is that?"

"It's in the works. Not ready to give you a sneak peek." He winked, and she rolled her eyes.

The further they went, the fewer Dinosaurs there were. She stared out the glass to see if maybe there was something they hadn't seen yet roaming around, but she didn't see anything the stuck out. However, further into the field, she saw some movement. Whatever it was, it was too far off for her to identify what it was. It wasn't big, but more on the small side from where she was sitting, and it moved fast. It stopped for a moment, and another one appeared by it, followed by a third one, and then a fourth one. She blinked, brows knitting together. "What is that?"

"What's what?"

"That." She pointed. "Over there."

Zach leaned over and squinted as he looked. "I don't see anything."

"Me either." Gray said, looking in the direction as well.

Leah frowned and looked closer, realizing whatever she had seen was long gone. "That's weird..." She murmured, keeping her eyes locked on the area she had seen it in as Zack steered the sphere forward.

* * *

When Jurassic World first opened, there had been several AOC's every other day. It was something no one tended to really panic about because it was never really something serious. Usually a Pachy that shorted its implant and busted out, or a Triceratops rampaging. Jurassic World had never had anything bad exactly happen.

Nothing like a hybrid breaking out and into the park.

"I'm sorry, you said what broke out?"

"The Indominus Rex." Claire reiterated. Allison could see the panic in her eyes, and from the way she played with her shirt hem nervously.

"And what the hell is the Indominus Rex?"

"T-The uh, base genome is a Tyrannosaur. The rest is classified information."

Allison narrowed her eyes. Several months after she began to work for the park, there had been a work party to celebrate the anniversary of the park opening. She and several other colleagues had dinner with Henry Wu, the lead geneticist of Jurassic World. The mention of dinosaur hybrids had long been debated, and it was apparently something Wu intended to do eventually. Allison disagreed with it. Hybrids like that often died during infancy, or before they even hatched. Even if they did survive, they were often sickly or diseased, and had to be put down so they wouldn't spread it to any of the other animals. It was like wolf hybrids. Some states allowed them, but in most they weren't legal, and were often put down because they were a high risk. You could turn them into a house pet, but you would never be able to talk the wolf out of them. Much like with any wild animal.

"You don't even know what it's made up of? Claire." Allison said. "Putting something out there for the public to see when you don't even know what it's made up of isn't good. Especially if it's a first time thing."

"Well, we needed something to grab people's attention." The redhead defended, arms crossed over her chest. "So we gave the go ahead for Henry and his team to make them."

Sitting down towards the front was Katherine. She looked over at the two women. "Them? You mean there are more?"

"No, no! There was a whole clutch, but only two survived after hatching."

"And what of the sibling?"

Claire's lips were pressed into a tight line before she answered. "She ate it."

At this, Katherine stood up. "You've created something that's an unpredictable animal. When it killed the sibling you should have put it down. Something like that is a red flag."

"We couldn't afford to do that." She sighed.

"Yes, but can you afford to pay for all the lawsuits you'll be getting when the families of those ACU troops sue you?"

Allison's eyes widened. "You sent ACU after it? Claire!"

"We're doing everything we can to make sure it's contained. We have this under control, please." She sighed, growing frustrated.

"John Hammond thought he had control." Katherine murmured softly.

At this, everyone in the room glanced her way, almost stunned that she would bring the former owner and creator of the original park up so boldly. But there was truth to what she said. The reason Hammond's original park had failed was the idea that control was there when it indeed was not. Katherine could so vividly remember overhearing Sattler and Hammond's conversation in the dinning hall about his lack of control and the illusion of him believing he had it being the reason the park had failed.

"This is much different." Claire said, her voice soft. Her gaze was hard and it was noticeable a nerve had been touched.

"Yes, but John Hammond also didn't create a hybrid animal that knew where to rip out its tracking implant."

Allison groaned. "Jesus..."

Katherine was writing something down quickly, murmuring to herself. "It's intelligent. It can camouflage, sense thermal heat..." She whispered.

"Non-lethal's." Allison suggested, looking at Claire.

"Great, now you sound just like Mr. Grady."

"Owen knows what he's talking about." Allison frowned, glaring at her. "You don't work out in the field like we do, Claire. We deal with these animals on a daily basis, we've gone to school and studied all the things we know. Kat here has been studying animal behavior in carnivores for more than 3 years. You just run the park!"

It was silent for a moment, the tension between everyone almost suffocating. Eventually, Katherine cleared her throat.

"I do suggest you evacuate the park..."

"You know we'd never reopen. I told the same thing to Owen."

"Then the least you can do is make sure no one gets hurt! That's your job, isn't it!?" Katherine yelled, startling Claire. "Jurassic Park didn't have that advantage, but you do!" She pointed to the screen. Allison saw the live count had more than 21,000 people inside of the park. Should the animal come close to the main perimeter, casualties were bound to happen.

Claire studied the screen again. She had already closed everything north of the resort, and everyone was currently being evacuated back to the hotel. She frowned as she watched the screen, digging for her phone.

Katherine watched, irritated. While Claire had at least done something to make sure no casualties happened, she felt that it wasn't enough. Jurassic World never had AOC's that were carnivores before, and that was incredibly alarming to her. Had it been the T-Rex, she knew they would be able to recapture it and sedate it because it had been done before when it was recaptured for Jurassic World. Sedative dosages were exact each time.

With this creature, she had no idea how they would ever be able to recapture it if it could hide itself from the naked eye.

"Dr. Grant, would the sedative dosages for a Rex be the same for the Indominus?"

She looked up and saw Lowrey, one of the workers for the control room looking at her. "Uh, well not necessarily. See, with sedative dosages if you go over just the exact amount by a bit, you risk putting the animal into a coma. It's happened before with some animals. In this case, it might be best for the I-Rex. It's too unpredictable."

"Zara lost the boys."

Everyone looked up at Claire quietly, noting the panic in her voice. Allison's eyes widened. "Oh, god."

"What?"

"I-I left Owen's niece with the boys and the assistant."

Claire was on the phone again. "Zach? Oh thank god. Is Gray with you?" She paused, frowning. "Okay, Zach. Listen to me. I need you to come back to the hotel NOW. Wha...hello? Hello!?" She pulled her phone away and inhaled, hurrying over. "Are there any Gyrospheres left in the valley?"

Lowrey looked at her. "No, they're all accounted for. It's my job." He sighed as one popped up, shaking his head. "There's still one in the field."

A search and rescue was ordered, but there would be a delay. And they didn't have that kind of time.

"You listen to me! Make this your top priority!" When they told her it would still have to be delayed, she threw the ear piece down. "Fine, I'll do it myself."

As Claire rushed out of the room with Allison rushing out after her, Katherine's phone rang. Upon pulling it out to see who it was she grimaced, pressing answer and putting the phone to her ear.

"Hi, dad."

* * *

 **A/N: Next chapter soon! Sorry if this wasn't too entertaining!**


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